1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and network apparatus for selectively displaying multiple information items related to network.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the increasing popularity of the Internet and a rapid increase in multimedia data, the demand for super high-speed telecommunication networks continues to increase. A local area network (LAN) offered data transmission speeds of 1 to 4 Mbps when it was introduced in the late 1980's. 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet is most commonly used on LANs today and research into GigaBit Ethernet is being actively pursued. Attempts to access a network without a wire promotes research into and use of wireless LANs (WLANs). Despite low transmission rate and poor stability, the WLAN market is growing because of its ability to access a network wirelessly and improved mobility.
Due to the demand for increased transmission speed and advances in wireless data transfer technology, the original IEEE 802.11 standard providing 1 to 2 Mbps has improved, and currently specifications such as 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g have been approved or are being developed by standardization committees. In particular, 802.11a offering a 6 to 54 Mbps data transfer rate in the national information infrastructure (NII) 5 GHz band based on an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) scheme is the most promising standard because of the increased attention in transmission using OFDM and the use of the 5 GHz band.
Examples of standards for wireless data communication systems whose standardizations are finalized or under way include a Wide Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) that is a third generation (3G) communication standard, IEEE 802.11x, Bluetooth, and IEEE 802.15.3. IEEE802.11b is the most common and cheapest standard for wireless data communications among IEEE 802.11x family. A WLAN compliant with the IEEE 802.11b standard delivers a data transfer rate of up to 11 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, Medial (ISM) band that can be used without a license within certain maximum emitted power limits. The demand for WLANs employing the IEEE 802.11a standard offering a data transfer rate of up to 54 Mbps using OFDM is increasing and research into IEEE 802.11g operating in the 2.4 GHz band using OFDM is actively being conducted.
Meanwhile, current networks, rather than networks connecting personal computers, connect all devices to other devices intending to exchange data whereas construction of wired networks was a major issue in the past. Due to new wiring installation, and restricted mobility of the wired networks, however, there is a need for wireless communication technology. Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) covering a range of 50 to 100 m and Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) as the short-range wireless network standard of less than 10 m are being currently standardized as wireless network technologies.
The IEEE 802.15 Working Group developed the WPAN as the standard of a wireless network, and has four task groups (TGs) TG1 through TG4. TG1 establishes WPAN standards based on Bluetooth 1.x, and TG2 involves research into coexistence of wireless networks. TG3 is a group that is now conducting research into a transmission system having a transmission speed of a high data rate of 200 Mbps or greater using UltraWideband (UWB) while consuming a smaller amount of power, and TG4 investigates ZigBee suitable for a low data rate transmission of up to 250 Kbps with very low power consumption.
Technologies associated with wired networks, WLANs, and Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) move from the research phase into commercialization. Wired/wireless data communication technologies are used in information apparatuses such as computers, notebooks, and personal digital assistants (PDAs) as well as home networking devices including digital TVs, set-top-boxes (STBs), and refrigerators. In particular, wireless data communication requires an apparatus for displaying transmission and reception of data. A status output unit using a light-emitting diode (LED) is typically used for this purpose to indicate the operation status of a network. An apparatus for displaying operation status in a wireless network will now be described because active/inactive status and data transmission of the wireless network can be easily affected by a surrounding environment.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a conventional apparatus for indicating the active/inactive status of a network.
Referring to FIG. 1, the apparatus includes an input unit 110, a signal controller 140, a wireless network transceiver 120, and a status output unit 130. The input unit 110 typically using a button key transmits a signal indicating an input button is pushed or released to the signal controller 140 when the button is pressed down or released. The signal controller 140 determines how to process the signal under a current status of a wireless network, e.g., whether to activate the wireless network, and sends the result to the wireless network transceiver 120. The wireless network transceiver 120 is a typical LAN card and is responsible for wireless communication. The wireless network transceiver 120 determines whether to activate the wireless network according to the requirements provided by the signal controller 140, performs an operation according to the result of the determination, and sends information relating to activation of the wireless network to the signal controller 140. A mini-PCI (MPCI) card that is the most commonly used WLAN card provides information relating to the activation of a wireless network through pin 13.
The signal controller 140 brightens or darkens the status output unit 130 according to whether the received network activation status information. The status output unit 130 is typically a light-emitting device such as an LED and looks bright or dark according to a value sent by the signal controller 140.
FIG. 2 is a diagram of a conventional apparatus for displaying the amount of data being transmitted and received.
Referring to FIG. 2, the conventional apparatus includes an input unit 110, a signal controller 140, a wireless network transceiver 120, and a status output unit 130. The input unit 110 typically uses a button key to transmit a signal indicating an input button is pushed or released to the signal controller 140 when the button is pressed down or released. The signal controller 140 determines how to process the signal under a current status of a wireless network, e.g., whether to activate the wireless network, and sends the result to the wireless network transceiver 120.
The wireless network transceiver 120 determines whether to activate the wireless network according to the requirements provided by the signal controller 140. In general, the wireless network is activated by applying power to the wireless network transceiver 120. After activation of the wireless network, the wireless network transceiver 120 sends information relating to the amount of data being transmitted and received to the status output unit 130. When a large amount of data is being transmitted and received, the status output unit 130 that is a light-emitting device such as a LED will flicker at a high rate. Conversely, when a small amount of data is being transmitted and received, the status output unit 130 will flicker at a low rate. A MPCI card that is the most commonly used WLAN card provides information relating to the amount of data being transmitted through pin 12.
The apparatus of FIG. 1 may inform a user of the active/inactive status of a wireless signal for transmitting or receiving data on a wireless network but not provide any information relating to whether data is being transmitted or received over the wireless network, e.g., whether a large amount of data is being transmitted or received or whether no data is being transmitted or received despite a connection to the wireless network.
On the other hand, the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 can check the amount of data being transmitted and received through the wireless network and indicated the amount through the speed at which the LED flickers but flickering may irritate the user. In particular, repeated LED flickering may distract the user's concentration on work.
Korean Laid-open Patent Application No. 2001-010580 proposes an apparatus and method for displaying a decoded channel status of a base station by checking the status of a network channel and indicating the result using a mono-color LED. However, although the apparatus allows a base station to check the operation status of all networks, it does not perform a function to activate the network within an environment where network devices operate or indicate a channel status.
Thus, as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is a need to develop a status output unit that is easy to use and indicates a network status. One of the most challenging problems is adding this function without making significant changes to the structure of a conventional wireless network apparatus. That is, there is a need for an apparatus and method for displaying the operation status of a wireless network to a user without changing the structure of a conventional wireless network apparatus.